Analysis of Water Quality Status of the Upper Kosi River of Central Himalaya, India

Due to increasing anthropogenic activities, all the forms of water resources of the world are being polluted continuously and creating a threat for all living organisms. The specific objective of this research paper is to examine the physicochemical and bacteriological water quality parameters of raw water of the Upper Kosi River of the Central Himalaya which water is being used for drinking by the people of the Almora Town and surrounding villages. For this purpose, three years (2018 - 2020) water quality data of raw water of Kosi River were collected from the Jal Sansthan Department Almora and these were examined based on the Bureau of Indian Standard. Out of total 14 water quality parameters, 11 parameters (i. e., pH, alkalinity, arsenic, calcium, fluoride, chloride, total hardness, iron, magnesium, nitrate and sulphate) were found within the range of permissible and acceptable limit of drinking water and 03 parameters (i. e., turbidity, e. coli and total coliform) were found exceeding the acceptable and permissible limit of drinking water. The present study reveals that the raw water of the Upper Kosi River is experiencing a high concentration of faecal coliform because of human activities. Thus, the study suggests that human activities along with the river sites and untreated disposal of sewerage into the river should be strictly banned for the sake of the life of the people.